The Standard-Times

May 8, 2011

By

MARTHA SMITH

Over the course nearly two decades, an of astounding 250-plus foster children have received temporary refuge in the home of Ann and Ralph Fullmer. Eight of them stayed and were adopted, joining the Fullmersâ biological sons Ralph Jr. and Darrell.
Yet Ann, 62, insists, âWeâre nothing special. Weâre just us. Theyâre my kids.â
This is a great understatement.
She is the epitome of what Motherâs Day celebrates: dedication, constancy and unfailing love. Her need to reach out to children when they needed her most is what sets her apart.

May 7, 2011

NORTH KINGSTOWNâNorth Kingstown Town Manager Michael Embury opened Tuesday nightâs Town Council meeting with a light-hearted joke.
Producing his 2009 and 2010 W-2 forms in response to a request last week by School Committee member Larry Ceresi, Embury stated that his wages went down over $4,000 from year to year, prompting council president Elizabeth Dolan to smile and ask if Embury also had his âbirth certificate with himâ.
It was one of the few moments of light-hearted fun on an evening of otherwise painful decisions.

May 6, 2011

By

MARTHA SMITH

NORTH KINGSTOWN â Richard and Donna August were in Washington, D.C. when news of the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was blazoned on TV news.
âThe crawl [printed text that flows across the bottom of the screen] said they got him,â recalled August who, with his wife, Donna, had traveled to the capital for their granddaughterâs First Communion.

May 5, 2011

A mother's love is one that can't be replaced.
That, above all is the message of Mother's Day and, this week, we take a special look at the ways in which one mother's love helped create a very unique family.
Over the course of two decades, Exeter's Ann Fullmer has done her part for a group of very special children and, this week, we'll tell you all about her and her family as Martha Smith presents a special Mother's Day themed Tell Me Your Story.

May 4, 2011

Over the past four weeks, weâve taken a special look at the issue of homelessness in North Kingstown. More specifically, homelessness and the effect it has on local children in the North Kingstown School District.
What weâve learned is that the issue isnât a simple one.
Perhaps itâs the economy. Maybe itâs the increased costs of basic necessities like food and gas. Whatever the reason, the signs all point to homelessness being an issue that will continue to grow over the next couple of years unless something is done to stop it.

May 3, 2011

NORTH KINGSTOWNâBonnie Smith stands inside the small, cramped space of the North Kingstown Food Pantry with a determined look on her face.
As signs of spring blossoms throughout the neighborhood around her, Smith works as quickly as possible in a dark office building so the pantry can provide local families with food and paper supplies.
Smith says demand for service is greater than ever.
âI canât give you an accurate percentage but I would say itâs probably at least 80-90 percent higher than it was a year ago at this point,â Smith says.

May 2, 2011

By

Martha Smith

NORTH KINGSTOWN â At Rhonda Barnerâs new shop, Mr. Willoughbyâs Country Store, the economic trend is neither bullish nor bearish. It is bunnyish.
And if your idea of a country store is spinning wheels, butter churns and jars of homemade jelly, think again. Things are really hopping in this updated idea of rustic chic.
Opening earlier this month, Mr. Willoughbyâs, a tiny boutique located on the side of a large storefront, features an inventory of country-style decorative pieces such as stuffed rabbits, sheep and cows as well as wreaths and candles.

May 1, 2011

By

Martha Smith

NORTH KINGSTOWN â A shabby little green-trimmed house that historians trace to the founding family of North Kingstown is being moved from a waterfront site on Cold Spring Lane to Smithfield where it will be restored and occupied.
It will join two large colonial homes in a Limerock-area compound owned by a pair of devoted preservationists.
Identified as the Updike-Lawton House by an official at the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission, the early Cape Cod-style cottage was built by descendents of Lodowick Updike.

April 30, 2011

By

Martha Smith

JAMESTOWN â When Judith Bell retired after 24 years as director of the Jamestown Philomenian Library, the ad for her replacement might just as well have read, Wanted: Legend in Training.
The woman who stepped forward to fill her shoes â and was chosen unanimously by the hiring committee and the library board â has had lots of small-town experience but is poised to guide the Jamestown facility into the modern electronic era of e-reading.

April 29, 2011

NORTH KINGSTOWNâFrustrations over the proposed 2012 budget for the North Kingstown School District boiled over Tuesday night as School Committee members Larry Ceresi and Lynda Avanzato openly questioned whether or not the NK Town Council did everything it could to avoid potentially level-funding the district for the next fiscal year.